Right, we have a very narrow window of accepted viewpoints right now, and anybody who voices points that that don't fit with the narrative ends up being sidelined. This creates an echo chamber where people just repeat the same talking points to each other even if they don't agree with them because saying anything contrary would be career ending. A great example of this is how people like Jeffrey Sachs and John Mearsheimer are now only found on substack and random youtube channels. It's impossible to make sound decisions without honest debate and without accepting facts as they actually are as opposed to as you want them to be.

It's deeply ironic that the west prides itself on diversity of opinions that are considered. This is supposed to be one of the core strengths of the western system compared to "authoritarian" regimes like China. The reality turns out to be quite different.